Due to booms in the demand for wireless internet access, demands on wireless networks, such as cellular networks, are expected to soar in the foreseeable future. Among the most promising strategies for satisfying this rapidly increasing demand is to reduce the size of network cells. Over the past 50 years, reductions in cell size have increased wireless network capacity by a factor of over 2700. The benefits to network capacity caused by cell size reduction mean that the incorporation of local area (LA) networks into broader network infrastructure may be the next frontier in the evolution of cellular networks, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.
In this regard, the concept of “dual connection” has recently emerged as a way to incorporate LAs into cellular networks. The basic idea is to let a user equipment (UE) connect to both a macro access point and a LA access point simultaneously, with the macro access point controlling some connection and signalling aspects, such as mobility functions, while offloading most data transmission to the LA access point. This allows the UE to benefit from the high data rate and low required transmission power provided by the LA cell due to its small distance. The concept of dual connection is also referred to as inter-eNB CA (inter-enhanced Node B Carrier Aggregation), User/Control (U/C) plane split, multi-stream, etc. Although dual connection is a promising concept, it is yet unclear how handovers, especially between LA access points, may be most effectively carried out.